


The Return of a Hero

by Magical_Persona



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Spoilers, a little bit of it anyway, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 05:17:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21010364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magical_Persona/pseuds/Magical_Persona
Summary: Spoilers for Azure Moon (BL run) chapter 16When Dedue appears on the Myrmidon Bridge everyone is glad to have their missing friend back, no one more so than Ashe.





	The Return of a Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Big thanks to casualbird for Dedue calling Ashe 'Little One'. It is now my favorite pet name for this pairing and I couldn't resist.

The Myrmidon Bridge was a foreboding structure. It stood bravely, daring anyone who came upon it to cross. Most, or at least the wise, knew better. Unfortunately, the former Blue Lion class led by none other than Dimitri himself, could not be considered wise. They were attempting a surprise attack.

They had been doing just fine until Lord Acheron showed up.He had been making decent headway, but now he was cut off from the rest of his group. One archer against two, heavily armored knights was not a fight he felt confident winning. He was backed against the wall and they were charging at him.

Arrows had little effect on armor this thick. It was difficult for him to get any decent shots in. The best he could hope for was to dodge their attacks until he could scurry to Sylvain or Dimitri’s side. What he really needed to do was get inside that stronghold. At least then he would have some kind of protection.

He managed to slip under the first blow with an ease that surprised him. He had even managed to fire off a shot at such close quarters. It was the second blow he saw in slow motion coming for him. He tried to dodge, drop low to the ground and slip under the axe just as he had done with the first attack. Sometimes, the world slows down, granting you a moment of clarity before tragedy strikes. Ashe felt it. This was the blow that would do him in. The one that would leave him nothing more than a casualty of war. The blow that never came, but would later haunt his nightmares.

He must have closed his eyes at some point, not wanting to watch the scene that followed. The blow never connected with him. Rather, the awful screech of metal on metal filled the air around him leaving many in the vicinity momentarily deafened. Curiosity got the better of the small sniper and he opened his eyes to see a familiar wall of armor standing in front of him.

Dedue had aged. He had more scars now and he’d cut his hair, but he was here. Alive. They were both alive and there was a pile of two soldiers at his feet. Ashe opened his mouth to speak, but Dimitri, as always beat him to it. That was only fitting of a future king, Ashe supposed.

“Allow me to join your forces,” Dedue placed a hand on Ashe’s shoulder. “Are you alright, Little One?”

That voice was a gift. Water to a desert land. It made Ashe’s heart sing. He shouldn’t be smiling right now, but Dedue was standing in front of him. The man was supposed to be dead! And yet… Maybe Ashe really had died a few moments ago. Ashe looked into those blue-green eyes and, for the first time since the war started, felt safe.

“Little One?” Dudue sounded worried, the grip on Ashe’s shoulder grew tighter.

That’s right! He had asked a question! There was a battle raging on around them and Ashe was caught up in things that could be settled later.

“I’m fine!” Ashe insisted. “Really, not hurt at all.” Which was a lie, but it wasn’t bad enough for him to be considered out of this fight just yet.

He was graced with one of Dedue’s small smiles before the fortress knight marched away toward the main fray. Ashe, as always, followed just a few steps behind. This was how they had always fought. Dedue standing like a wall to protect the much smaller man. It was comforting in its familiarity. This wasn’t simply routing bandits anymore, but some small part of Ashe’s brain felt like it might be able to pretend. Pretend they were still young and the people standing in their way didn’t belong to the other students who had grown alongside them.

That thought process was dashed when Ferdinand’s sharp cry of pain echoed through the bridge. It hit all of them like an arrow to the heart. Ashe actually saw Dorothea wince and cover her face with her hands. He wanted to comfort her, but there would be time for that later. Right now the focus was on not sharing the same fate.

The battle was hard fought, but in the end they managed to capture the bridge. Ashe understood the significance, but there was something more important on his mind. Dedue was speaking with Dimitri, probably explaining where he had been all this time. Ashe was watching the two of them closely. It had been five years, but Dedue seemed to fall right back in step. The spot that had been empty within their group vanished the moment he returned.

Ashe approached them cautiously. Dimitri had ever right to get the answers he wanted, but Dedue meant everything to Ashe. The two had been closer than most during their time as students. Ashe had taken no more than two steps when Dedue locked eyes with him. As much as he hated to admit it the archer froze. He’d interrupted something that was probably important. This had been a bad idea. He should have just waited for Dedue to come to him. It would have happened eventually.

It took Dimitri a few seconds longer to follow Dedue’s gaze. For the first time since they returned to the monastery the King smiled. “I’ve been rude, I hope you can forgive me, Ashe.” He stepped aside, motioning to Dedue. “He’s all yours.”

That was all it took for the archer to launch himself at Dedue. He wasn’t sure where he found the energy, but in seconds the distance had closed between them. Ashe was being held in strong arms. Dedue’s armor poked and prodded uncomfortably, but the smaller man couldn’t bring himself to care. He was in Dedue’s arms again. He was safe. In this moment they were both safe.

“I missed you, Little One,” Dedue whispered into blood matted grey hair.

“We thought you were dead,” Ashe choked on tears he hadn’t been expecting. They were happy tears, or at least tears of relief. Dedue was here, he’d somehow survived being captured and helping Dimitri escape. At the moment it didn’t matter how he had managed that. All Ashe could think about was holding Dedue.

Dedue lowered the archer to his feet, taking Ashe’s hand gently in his own. “I am sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner. I was in no condition to be up and about, but I will not leave you again.”

Ashe rubbed at his tears with the back of a grimy glove. “Me? Don’t let Dimitri hear you say that. I wouldn’t want him to be down a vassal.”

Dedue’s laugh was like a rumble that was more easily felt than heard. “I believe His Highness is aware of where I stand.”

“I love you.” Ashe squeezed Dedue’s hand. It had been so long since he’d had a chance to say those words. He thought he was out of times he’d be able to say those words. Run them all out when they were just kids who barely knew what those words meant. The power they really held. He beamed up at the knight with a smile that could rival the sun. Despite what had occurred on the bridge, today was a good day. A hero, long thought dead, had returned to them. Things couldn’t only get better from here. Ashe was sure of it.

It would be a long time before anyone saw one without the other. Ashe was almost always jogging at Dedue’s side with a small smile. The display was enough to bring a little bit of hope back to the sullen monastery. There were still days Ashe felt the need to constantly hold Dedue’s hand. Just to prove to himself this wasn’t a dream. Dedue was real, there, right in front of him.

In return Dedue would run his thumb along the back of Ashe’s hand. He would make Ashe dishes from his homeland and the spiced sweets they loved so much. More importantly, he was there when Ashe needed a reminder that everything was alright. When the smaller would wake in a cold sweat after reliving the terrors Dedue hadn’t been there to protect him from. Those were the nights he made a promise to himself. Nothing would separate them. Not again. Not Ever.


End file.
